www.Go To The Mountain - Musings of a Potential Guru

Raffles Place was a place I frequented even as a young boy and dad used to work there and would sometimes bring us over on some weekends for some nice food or hobby shops there at Change Alley. In those days, there were just a few shopping places in Singapore. Robinsons, at the time at Raffles Place was one of them. Eventually, Raffles Place became overcrowded. Too many people with small spaces. I like Tanjong Pagar. Not many goes there those days unless you are going to the railway station.  Every place that you go to frequently just like you were going home and only less frequently than home is your second home. It could be a work place, a watering hole for some or a favourite restaurant or club. Raffles Place is like Tokyo and Tanjong Pagar is like Nagoya.  Both places have changed especially so and most recently at Tanjong Pagar. Seasons changed, places change and people change. Time touches and passes all and none is spared. Even the architecture of buildings, st...

They say a prophet is not recognised in his own town. We talk about Peranakan food and people would rave about this one here and another there. Tucked at a shop-house along the main road of Tanjong Pagar there is this place that serve wonderful Peranakan cuisine. Right in our own backyard. Some folks may have forgotten about them.  There were enough varieties to keep us busy but as there were only a few of us that day so we kept things simple. We started with the sambal cuttlefish kang kong. These days not many give you cuttlefish. It was good. The ngo hiang tasted as good as those home-made ones. These are of course minced pork and prawns seasoned with five spice powder rolled and wrapped and fried so that it turned into a crispy golden brown on the outside. Nice! Beef Rendang - tender beef cubes cooked in rich coconut milk with ingredients like lemon grass, ginger and curry powder. Rendang is an absolute favourite for me, a true great. Bakwan Kepeting is a fi...